Grain-treating machine



Feb. 16,1926. 1,573,340

S. A. WElTMAN GRAIN TREATING MACHINE Filed April 23. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 16 1926. 1,573,340

S. A. WEITMAN GRAIN TREATING MACHINE Filed April 23. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 amvenfo'c Gum v21; 9

Patented Feb. 16, 1926.

omrso STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

SAMUEL WEITMAN, F KAHLOTUS, WASHINGTON.

GRAIN-TREATING MACHINE.

Application filed April 23, 1923. Serial No. 634,119.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL A. W EITMAN, a 'citlzen of the United States, residing at Kahlotus, in the county of Franklin and enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its Ob ect to provide a novel form of machine for treating seed grain with copper-carbonate or other desired fungicide, for the purpose of preventing the so-called hunt or stinking smut. The present day methods of treating grain" are not only very slow but require the expenditure of a great deal of labor, with the result that the cost of the treating process almost counterbalances the increase in the crop due to the treating. Furthermore, the laborers employed in the treating proc- "ess very often have their health impaired by inhaling the copper-carbonate or other dust and fumes. My invention however, overcomes these difliculties by prov ding a. substantially dust-tight machine which will rapidly operate and will receive the grain directly from the usual elevator of .L grain cleaning machine, saving the trouble and expense of an additional handling between the cleaning operation and the treating process.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawings. I

Figure l is a side elevation of a grain treating machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view.

Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 are vertical transverse sections on lines 3 3, l-l, 55 and 66 of Fig. 2.

Figures 7 and 8 are elevations of one of the holding bars for the sections of the conveyors hereinafter described.

Figure?) is a detail perspective view showing more particularly the conveyor con struction'. I

In the drawings above briefly described, I have. 'sh ownmy invention in position to receiveth'e' cleaned seed grain from the delivery chute 1 of the discharge conveyor 2 from a grain cleaning machine, it being understood however that the invention could be used separately from the cleaning machine if desired. The numeral 3 designates an elongated cylinder open at one end to receive the grain and open at its other end to discharge such grain after it has been treated in the cylinder. The inlet end of the cylinder 3 or other desired portion thereof, is formed with a multiplicity of perforations -'l and means are provided for discharging the treating powder or the like onto this perforated portion of the cylinder, so that it may enter the latter through the perfor tions, to be thoroughly mixed with the grain. Conveying means are )rovided in the cyliir der to carry the grain and the reating medium toward the opposite end thereof while at the same time, effecting agitation and thorough mixture, to insure that all of the grain shall become coated. The dis charge end of the cylinder is perforated as indicated at at and like the perforations at, these perforations arc fine enough to prevent the passage of the graintherethrough, but are of a sufficient degree of coarscnt-rss to allow the powder to pass. It will thus be seen that any surplus powder which may remain in the cylinder will sift out through the perforations 4 and will not discharge tl'irough the grain, thereby effecting a saving of the powder to be re-used.

The discharge end of the cylinder 3 preferably extends into a stationary drum or casing 5 having a removable drawer or the like (5 to receive the surplus powder discl'iarged through the perforations 4-", said drum also having an outlet 7 for the treated grain which n'iay discharge directly into a sack tied or held thereunder, as indicated at S. A suitable valve 9 provided for the outlet 7 to prevent the discharge of grain when removing a filled sack and substituting an empty one. The drum or casing 5 is supported on suitable legs 10 which I prefer to have vertically adjustable in order that the cylinder 3 may be inclined if desired to facilitate feeding of the grain and treating powder therethrough.

The perforated inlet end of the cylinder 3 is snrrouiided by a drum 11 to contain the grain trez'itin'g powder or other medium 12 which will constantly gravitate to the lower portionof the drum. By means of movable dippers 13, however, predetermined quanlength.

tities of the treating medium are elevated and dropped onto the perforated portion of the cylinder, so that these quantities may sift through the perforations 4t and mingle with the grain. In the preferred form of construction, the drum 1.1 is oi trustroconical shape in orcer that the powder or the like will slide toward the annular head 14 which closes the enlarged outer end of said drum. The clippers 1.3 are located in the angle between this head and the wall of the drum and consequently, it will be seen that they will operate even though a very small quantity of the treating powder may be present in the drum. These clippers are preferably in the form. oi. straight strips of metal passing slidably through slots 15 in the head let and trictionally held inproper position. It will be seen that by moving these strips inwardly or outwardly, the capacity thereof may be varied, so that any desired quantity oi the treating medium may be supplied to the cylinder.

Tithin the cylinder 3, I provide a helical conveyor 16 leading from its inlet end to its inter iediate portion and provide a similar conveyor 17 leading from said intermediate portion to the discharge end of the cylinder. The inner ends of the conveyors are spaced apart and means are provided in the cylinder between said conveyors to thoroughly stir the treating medium and the grain, while feeding it through the cylinder at a slower. rate of speed than it ted by the conveyors 1.6 and 17, thus insuring more thorough cont-act of the treating powder or the likewith the grain, than could be obtained otherwise. The means last referred to will be explained hereinafter, as this means is formed, in the present disclosure, by portions of certain longitudinal bars which constitute parts of. the conveyors 1G and 17.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 9, each conveyor is termed 01 a plurality of circinnferential sections 18, each of which is pretcrahly although not necessarily of 360 in Each of these sections is cut from a sheet of metal and is originally in the term of a split ring withperipheral notches 19 at opposite sides of the split and similar notches 20 at other circumferentially spaced points. The ends of the ring however are pulled in directions parallel with the ring axis, so that each section takes the form of a convolution of the conveyor. In thus shaping the sections 18, their original diameter is decreased to some extent, so that the slots 19 all come in line with each other. Angle metal bars 21 have transverse notches 22 formed at spaced points in the ends of one flange, these bars being equal in number to the several alined rows of notches 19 and 20 with which the conveyor sections 18 are formed. The bars '21 are applied to the outer edge portions of the conveyor sections 18 so that their notches 22 inter-fit with the notches 1S) and 20, thereby holding the eonveyor sections 18 in proper relation to form the two continuous conveyors l6 and 17. At suitable points, radial bolts 23 (see Fig. 5) pass through the angle metal bars 21 and connect them with a central shaft 24 which passes through the entire cylinder and has its ends appropriately mounted in suitable hearings. The conveyor sections-18, bars 21, shaft 24-, bolts 23 and a plurality of pitched paddles on the center of said shaft, may he bodily inserted into the cylinder 3 ai"ter assembly and secured thereto by, any desired in .s. The shai't 2-l may oi" course be driven in any desired manner, but I prefer to provide it with a sprocket wheel so that a chain 26 may be employed to drive it from the upper shaft of the elevator 2. This driving of the shalt will in turn drive the entire cylinder 3, the coin'eying means within said cylinder and the drum 11 around the whine. i

T he inwardly ezttending flanges of the angle metal bars 2l above described, are transversetv divided, between the conveyors l6 and 17, into a plurality of separate areas constituting grain and powder agitating blades 27 whose ends are oppositely bent as indicated at 28 to slowly feed the grain toward the t' harge end of the cylinder, simultaneously with the agitating operation. The pitched paddles co-operate with the blaces 2'? in agitating and feeding the grain and the treating medium through the cylinder, hut above stated, the feeding at the intermediateportion of said cylinder is at slower rate of speed than at the ends, insuring that the grain and the treating pow der or the like shall be more thoroughly mixed than could otherwise be done.

The portions oi the inwardly extending flan 355 of the bars 21 between the sections 8 or the conveyors 1G and 17, serve to addi- A, travel through the I 3, but in order that these tlanges may not inte fere se iously with proper action of the con ors, they are preferably cut away to some extent, oetween their notches 22, as indicated at I By providing a machine constructed in or substantially in the manner herein disclosed, the grain may be easily, quickly and inexpensively treated and it will be seen that there will be no waste of surplus powder whichmay enter the cylinder as it will he sifted out through the perforations t and caught in the drawer 6, from which it may be returned to the drum 11. This drum will of course be provided with asuitable filling cap or the like (not shown).

As excellent results are obtainablefrom the details disclosed, they are preferably fole the grain and the treating rowed, but within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous changes may be made.

I claim;-

I l. Agrain treating machine comprising a rotatable cylinder having a grain inlet and having its walls perforated throughout a portion of its length, a drum surrounding the perforated portion of said cylinder to contain a grain treating medium, and a dipper in said drum for elevating a predetermined quantity of its contents and dropping such (piantities onto the perforated portion of. the cylinder, said dipper being passed into the drum through a slot in the end thereof and movable into and out or the drum through the slot.

2.111 a machine of the character described, the combination or" an importer-ate rotatably mounted cylinder provided at end end with a grain inlet and a separate inlet for grain treating material, said cylinder beingprovided at its other end with a grain outlet and a separate outlet for the grain treating material, means for rotating said cylinder, and means in said cylinder, operative by the rotation thereof, to mix the grain treating material with the grain and to simultaneously convey these substances from one end of said cylinder to the other end thereof, the last named means being arranged so as to convey said substances faster through the end portions of said cylinder than through the intermediate portion thereof.

t. A machine of the class described comprising a rotatable cylinder adapted to re ceive material at one end and adapted for the discharge thereof at its other end, means in the inlet end of said cylinder for conveying the material to the intermediate por- Lion of said cylinder, additional means in the other end of the-cylinder for conveying the material away from said intermediate portion of the cylinder, and a longitudinal internal flange at the cylinder wall between said conveying means, said flange being tranmersely divided into separate areas and having the end portions of said areas bent to convey and stir the material.

In a machine of the character do scribed, the combination of a cylinder pro vided with an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end, helical conveyors fixed in the end portions of said cylinder, said conveyors being provided with central passages. and each being composed of a plurality of separate helical sections, longitudinal bars fixed within said cylinder and engaging the sections of said conveyors and n'iaintaining said sections in place.

6. A structure as specified in claim 5; the portions of said bars between the two conveyors being transversely divided into separate areas whose ends are bent to agitate the material while passing through the cylinder from one conveyor to the other.

7. A machine of the class described comprising a cylinder adapted at one end to ieceive material, the other end of said cylinder being adapted for discharging the material, a helical conveyor in said cylinder 0c cupying only a part of the length of said cylinder and formed of circumferential sections, longitudinal bars at the cylinder wall holding the conveyor sections in operative relation and extended beyond said conveyor, the extended ends of said bars constituting agitators.

8. A machine of the class described co1nprising a cylinder adapted at one end to rereceive material, the other end of said cylinder being adapted for discharging the 1naterial, a helical conveyor in said cylinder occupying only a part of the length of said cylinder and formed of circumferential sections, and longitudinal bars at the cylinder wall holding the conveyor sections in operative relation and extended beyond said conveyor, and being transversely divided into separate areas whose ends are bent to form agitators.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

SAMUEL A. lVEl'lMAN. 

